Once More 'Round The Bend

What a long, busy weekend! First, I checked into my suite at the Four Seasons. Then, it was off to a dress fitting. Then, party after party after party. And finally...The Oscars!

ha ha ha! In actuality, I was helping shoot an open house for HGTV. Far less glamorous, but no less exciting.

That said, was this Oscar's a snore or what? I dunno--I think it's maturity, but I don't really care that much anymore. I think it's great to honor those involved with film because I adore movies, but what's up with all the pomp and circumstance? I work so hard for my money and to see this other "class" in the clouds above us, trotting around with fancy gowns...I think the evening, for me, has lost its luster.

And yet, I love it enough to call all the winners right and win, in a three-way tie, the Oscars voting contest. That was pretty fun--I'm very scientific about it, and it's funny how you can call the winners by analyzing the general buzz and attitude of the Oscars. Shocking was that the screenplay awards...gasp!---went to the people that TRULY deserved them!

PS A few clever ladies in the crowd brought their knitting to do. By the time the show was finished, they had an afghan big enough to coat the floor. Mental note: Learn to knit before next year...

Oscar-ama

The Oscars. I don't care about them that much, but approach me about a pool and I'm all up in that stuff. I love debating who will win and why; so much goes into it, especially random emotion--kind of like the stock market. I look forward to seeing Chris Rock--I'm surprised he's such a controversial choice--and I know that there will be lots of surprises.

The biggest surprise to me is that The Aviator got such buzz. I'm sorry, but wasn't it a connect-the-dots Movie-of-the-Week biopic? Very surface suffering and an odd "why he's screwed up" childhood vignette does not add up to another Citizen Kane. Marty, I love you, but maybe you should go back to the old days of rough n' tumble heartfelt stories like Mean Streets. Hell, what do I know--I work in reality TV. But still.

"The Thing About My Folks" is that um it's just okay

I caught Paul Reiser's "The Thing About My Folks" at a screening as part of a UCLA class that my website editor is moderating, and it was eh, okay. (Say those last two words with a Peter Falk tough guy accent.)

Peter Falk was great as Paul Reiser's dad, Paul Reiser was great as...Paul Reiser, everyone was great in it, actually. It was just super duper ooper sentimental. All the little cliches were there, thinned out a bit by sensible directing, but there nonetheless.

However, it seems to elicit a warm response and I think it's heartfelt and sincere, which is saying a lot. And, I love Paul Reiser. He's a really good actor. Falk was good too, but it was more like he was playing a cartoon character than a real person.

I'm completely shocked the film hasn't found distribution. It's a total sentimental crowd pleaser. Honestly, I can't figure out this country. What do they want? Then again, it's the distribs to blame, I suppose. They think the film is "too Jewish." There's not one yarmulke or dreidel to be found, just a few phlegm-filled yiddish slang. Was "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" too Greek, for Pete's sake?

It's Our Middle East

I turned away for one minute from the Notorious BIG "Behind the Music" and completely missed the part where he and Tupac went from good friends to enemies. No matter how much I read or go over the whole East Coast-West Coast rap wars, I still can't quite get the story right, sort of like the situation in Israel. I'll Google it.

Thank God for Black History Month

So far I have seen:
two urban "def jam" comedy concerts on Comedy Central
one documentary on hip hop (on VH-1..OF COURSE!!)
The Notorious BIG Behind the Music
Beverly Hills Cop on Comedy Central.

I have laughed and cried, and wished that I too could have a rap name.

Here's the thing: Many of the comics all have portions of their acts that are "White people and black people are different. White people are so etc etc etc..." that if a white person tried to do the opposite way would be taken as completely inappropriate. But it did lead me to think: White women really come down on themselves, on their bodies. But a black woman could have a goiter and hair sticking out of her eyeballs and think she's a goddess, and to hell with any man that doesn't think so. I think white women should take a cue from that aspect of black culture. I no longer bitch or look down on my body, and I have so much more mental energy.

I still want a rap name.

Effect-ing

I met a fellow this week who works for a post-production house and recently worked with James Cameron on one of his many "underwater" films, the IMAX extravaganza Aliens of the Deep. He remarked that Cameron is a man who "doesn't take no for an answer." Recalling the groundbreaking CG effects in T2, we agreed that it's guys like Cameron and George Lucas who say, "what the hell, if no one else is gonna do it, I am," and plow their own money and time into advancing special effects. It's almost to the point where effects are underwhelming, now that The Matrix, well, broke the matrix.

Industry folks are scratching their heads at Cameron's vow to bring back 3-D, which my aquaintance said is shot with fewer cameras and utilizes more advanced glasses (who knew the GLASSES had to be updated too?) than in days past. But as with effects, maybe Cameron is once again ahead of his time. If I can see the Titanic crack in half in 3-D, I'd say it's worth the R&D.

I fell asleep.

Two days in the field (being dusted upon with dry wall and holding a large "mini" dv cam at odd angles) has perfectly exhausted me, and yet I managed to do laundry, iron, and watch OC (is it just me, or does Mischa Barton act better as a lesbo?). Then, I lay in bed watching the Secret Life of Michael Jackson program, and I fall asleep after the first hour and a half.

HOWEVER, I noticed that VH-1's "special report" on MJ was much more in depth and broke the same news two weeks earlier. Not that I don't love Martin Bashir for starting the process of nabbing this guy, but still, there was recycled info about Corey Feldman that I saw on 20/20 last week.

Wow! This entry makes me sound like I have NO LIFE!! Not true!

But there's nothing better than lying in bed watching VH-1. Is it just me, or is it not the finest Pop Culture-oriented channel right now? I only have 70 cable stations, so perhaps that's not an educated statement, but I think it should be called "PC-1."

Days of Our Lives Funny 2.0

winter1
Originally uploaded by violetta.

So, three co-workers are at a deli in Studio City, suspiciously close to a Bally's where DOOL stars are known to buff up. Who should be in there...but Rex, from DOOL! Rex is a guy who doles out compassion to his troubled co-stars and spends a lot of time shirtless. This explains his proximity to the Bally's.

By the time I got to the deli, he was gone--or rather, I saw the back of his head. However, one of my officemates bravely told him that she and her pals watched DOOL every day and were big fans. He was quite gracious.

She also tried to take a picture of him with her palm pilot on the sly. Unfortunately, she failed in this noble endeavor. But it's nice to know success hasn't spoiled dear Rex (who currently is bedside as Mimi struggles to tell him from her hospital bed that she had an abortion. I don't know why she's in the hospital bed. I missed that day.)

Constantine is pretty good

That says it all. Saw it a preview last night and I liked it quite a bit. Slightly tedious in the third act but recouped pretty quickly, and it didn't pander on the love-interest part. Plus Keanu was at his best, too. The boyfriend and I agree that Dominic West or someone equally dark and brooding (yet sexy! don't know who he is? watch The Wire) would be better, but I thought K did a good job. Rachel Weisz kicks ass as well.

The director, Francis Lawrence (key fact: First feature, and has directed Ms. Britney Spears in her music videos!! gasp!!) patiently answered questions from the crowd and noted that a key character got cut out, in fact, about 45 min got cut out, but he had the good sense to do so for story reasons. (The character he cut was a sexy demon that Constantine slept with, and he said somehow Constantine wouldn't seem dark and alone if he was...sleeping with sexy demons.)

Now I'm eager to read the comic, even though according to those who know the movie deviates quite a bit. From my perspective--unfamiliar to the Hellblazer series--the movie was pretty darn good. That's about all you can expect from action flicks these days, I guess.

Oh, and the fabulous Tilda Swinton's in it. As the angel Gabriel, no less. That alone worth price of admission.

I know!! Let's hire Howard Dean!

Yeah!! He'll really moderate the party, and then "they" won't think the Democrats are all about impulsive choices, hyper-liberal alienating beliefs, and poorly managed campaigns! He he he ha ha ha sob sob sob...

To be fair, Howard had fans in the NRA and didn't raise taxes much in Vermont, so he's got some right-wing credibility...and hell no should the Dems sell themselves out anyway, but come on. The guy's about as contentious as you can get when it comes to "uniting" the party.

On the other hand, I think the reason the committee was so unanimous about electing (assigning? annointing? canonizing?) Dean to the position is that he's got balls. He's not afraid to fall flat on his face. So maybe he'll rejuvenate the party.

Dream 2008 ticket: Barak Obama and John McCain. Are you listening, Dean???

Michael Jackson is Icky

Okay, I am going to watch the Martin Bashir "Secret World of Michael Jackson" ABC news special on Thursday night. Yes, I am. I taped his first documentary on the Crazy Ass Gloved One with all the fierce indignation I could muster. I mean, the man's obviously guilty, right? Some people feel he's not sophisticated enough to victimize children as accused. And yet he's sophisticated enough to order multiple intensive plastic surgeries? Look at him, people. Ew.

I realize I'm probably preaching to the choir, but I dunno, I've heard a couple people go, "MMMMmaaaybe he's innocent." Oh, okay. Listen, I saw this chick on Dr. Phil who looks like a warped version of herself because she had too many plastic surgeries. But she looks more like her old self than Michael Jackson looks like his old self, and if SHE was told she had problems (by a doctor! Dr. Phil!) then this crazy guy can be trusted with kids? I mean, no one acts that weird without being seriously disturbed. Eccentric, my ass.

I wouldn't even hold my CAT over a balcony.

Poor Carly Part II

So I go on to Salon.com and this is the first paragraph of the lead feature:

"Over Carly Fiorina's six-year reign, as HP's best and brightest headed for the doors, whether they jumped or were pushed, some of them were not shy about calling a reporter who had covered the company for many years. As I talked to these talented people from every level of the company, one interpretation of events emerged with remarkable consistency. Carly had no intention of sticking around Hewlett-Packard for very long, these folks said. Her real intent was to do a quick, Lee Iacocca-style turnaround, accompanied by the best autobiography money could buy, and in 2004 run for the U.S. Senate, against Barbara Boxer."

Um, uh, er...I can't read the whole story because the computer I'm using can't view movies and so I can't watch Salon's free ad and so I can't read the rest of the article...but I think I get it. Was she the CEO from hell or what? Hmmmm.

Lent n' Stuff

Soooo, I'm giving up the F word for Lent. I really don't know how I got in the habit of saying it...maybe it was the long work hours combined with the panic disorder I developed a few years back...maybe. But now that I'm sane, I feel it would be nice to depollute my spirit by no longer dropping the F-bomb. An officemate agreed with me so we've got each other to empathize with.

In exchange I will not give up chocolate, but will rather reward myself with a piece of chocolate every time I stop myself from saying the F-word. Thus, next Lent, I will go on a diet.

Carly, we love you

carly-1
Originally uploaded by violetta.

Poor Carly Fiorina. As one of the most powerful women in business, I bet she thought she was making a pretty ballsy move when she oversaw the merger of Compaq and HP. It didn't go so well, and after much trial and tribulation, yesterday HP "asked" her to resign.

It's hard to become a CEO when you're a woman, and even harder to be dethroned. But it happens to male CEOs all the time, so I hope she doesn't take a lot of flack. It sounds like she may go into politics, the perfect home for ballsy women.

We -heart- you, Carly!! (Even if you end up running as a Republican!)

Shopping Link of the Week

http://www.classiccloseouts.com/

My mom found this. It rocks.

Nothing to do about pop culture (unless you count how shopping has taken over actual culture). Enjoy.

How Are We Doing? Well...We Suck.

According to a report released last week by the Southern California Association of Governments (who are in charge of...what, exactly?), So Cal gets a D- for transportation, D+ for housing, B for employment, and C- for both air quality and income. Sounds about right to me. Way too many people, not enough resources. As I told a friend, "Why doesn't everyone NOT involved in the entertainment industry just go home?" And hell if I'm going to raise my kids here. What, so they can get black lung?

This is obviously a city with so many stars in its eyes it fails to see the light. It's not the taxpayers' fault that city planners mapped out a rail system that has no direct line from the valley to the West side, nor threads through the heart of Hollywood and mid-Wilshire, nor leads directly to the airport (you have to take about 1.5 hours' worth of rail from downtown and then TAKE A SHUTTLE to LAX--apparently they're working on fixing that).

As far as shelter goes, maybe the housing bubble will burst and we'll all be able to afford a walk-in closet sized condo for less than $350,000 that's NOT in Pacoima.

Days of Our Lives Funny 1.0

Chloe is in a body cast, wrapped like a mummy. The only parts of her beautiful, young face that are exposed are her eyes and lips.

Peeking through numerous white bandages, her eyes are COMPLETELY MADE UP. Black eyeliner, shadow, and mascara. Her lips are glossed. Heavily.

What nurses apply makeup to car crash victims?

Overseas is where it's at!

According to an article in the Sunday (2/6/05) Travel section of the LA Times, tours to China are cheap. Thanks to their artificially low currency, you can hitch a ride to China and take a 10-day tour for just a wee bit over $1k. So, now's the time to go.

In take-advantage-of-the-weak-dollar news, many financial analysts are recommending people open bank accounts in overseas countries. Of course, with the upcoming Bush budget, the deficit may be trimmed by a few bucks. We'll be without various social programs, but who needs good schools? Not us, no sir!

Superbowl Sass-a-frass

The Eagles hark from a city that has not won ONE, count 'em, ONE athletic championship since....the early '80s. The poor people are hurting for a break. It would have been a great underdog story, but alas, they were 3 points too far from a Superbowl.

A certain romantic comedy charmingly touted during the Superbowl should be a winner according to word of mouth, despite the usual ho-hum routine third act. The female star of this flick was allegedly cut around in the editing room, not because of bad acting, but because of miscasting. Producers/director blinded by beauty, perhaps? But the male-bonding subplot should be enough to entertain.

Did you know? Tiffany & Co. makes the Superbowl Trophy. Not known is whether it comes in a gigantic blue box.

Lesbian looooveee

patty
Originally uploaded by violetta.

Word is Ellen and Portia are running into some problems--namely, the obssessiveness that comes with lesbian love. "Meet, mate, and merge" is often the mantra many sapphic lovers take to heart, resulting in hardcore live-in relationships that either go on forever or burn out fast.

http://www.eonline.com/Gossip/Tab/Archive2005/050204.html

In other gay-ish news, Marge's sister Patty may be coming out of the lavendar closet soon (who knew? It seems so obvious now), and as many of us know (and I will know better when I watch the episode I taped from last night), the heat is on between Marissa and bad girl Alex on The O.C..

http://www.slate.com/id/2112350

A New Day

A New Day. The last family to buy a microwave. The last person at work to get a computer. The last pop culture fanatic to start her own blog.

This is my new blog about all things pop cultural (and political--since it's all becoming the same anyways). Vive la Pop Culture Station!